Do You Have What It Takes?
by Companion of the Dragonmark
Summary: Post-Book 12. During the reign of King Hiccup the Third, a traveler enters the City of Tomorrow, and meets a Companion of the Dragonmark, who, unintentionally, ends up inspiring him to become one himself. But as his new acquaintance begins to lay out how one becomes a Companion, the traveler begins to ask himself: Does he have what it takes? Rated K content and language.


_**Do You Have What It Takes?**_

_**By Companion of the Dragonmark**_

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Hail, stranger! You look as if you have journeyed far. Have you been here long? From where do you call your hearth? Ah, I see. That _is_ a fair distance. What do you think of the City of Tomorrow? Grand, isn't it? Largest city — the only one, in fact — in the entire Archipelago! It boasts of strong walls that are guarded by a hundred towers! And Grimbeard's Castle is the crown jewel of the City — and of the Barbaric Archipelago, too, in my opinion. All of this was rebuilt by our great and noble King, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third!

Who am I? Blistering Barnacles, where are my manners! _I_ am a Companion of the Dragonmark, and this is my Dragon companion and blood brother. The Companions of the Dragonmark are the personal retinue and hird of the King, and was a brotherband that was founded after the Second Dragon-Human War. In fact, from what I've heard, the band was unofficially and informally founded back in the day when the King had been an Outlaw, consisting only of the King himself, along with Fishlegs "the Faithful" No-Name, Camicazi the Courageous, and their dragon companions, and much later on Snotface Snotlout the Hero, the King's cousin.

Now the Companions of the Dragonmark are the Bodyguards of the King and his family, and the Guardians of the City of Tomorrow in place of the Guardians of Tomorrow who previously have been guarding the Island of Tomorrow for the past century. It is, indeed, a great honor to be a Companion. I, myself, have been one about... oh, eight years, give or take. And it is the greatest honor to be amongst such Heroic Vikings.

And look at my armor, my weaponry, my equipment — only the best for the King's chosen Companions! King Hiccup is most generous to those who serve with great distinction. And with those who have proven their honor and loyalty, there is no shortage of glory and honor... and of the odd silver armband or richly embellished drinking horn thrown into the mix. Hiccup the Third is definitely, in my opinion, the best King we've had since the days of Grimbeard the Ghastly (even if he was a less-than-honorable Viking who brought the First Kingdom of the Wilderwest into a smoldering ruin.)

What's that you say? You want to join the Companions of the Dragonmark, do you? Ho-ho, best of luck to you, then. 'Tis no small thing to become a member of this prestigious company of Heroes. While our noble and fair King has brought equality and justice to our wild, lawless, and prejudiced civilization, allowing anyone less fortunate with family ties and material wealth the chance to join the hird of a chieftain or jarl (much less a King's hird), one cannot simply _join_ a brotherband like the Companions of the Dragonmark. Unlike being in other hirds, having good looks and a strong sword-arm is not enough. Trust me, I know — I come from a great family and distinguished myself in the Varangian Guard, some of the mightiest and best warriors in the Viking Age! Yet I still had to go through many hurdles before finally being allowed to become a member.

How does one become a Companion of the Dragonmark, then? Well, in order to become a Companion of the Dragonmark, you must complete these requirements: You _must_ and _foremost_ bear the Dragonmark. And you _must_ also have a Dragon companion and have a _strong_, unbreakable bond with it. If you pass neither of these two requirements, then the King and his Companions won't even favor you with a second _glance_, much less your existence. Next, you must be a _Freeman_; _Outlaws_ and _Nidings_ — Nothings — are an immediate disclaimer to becoming a member (slaves don't count since the King outlawed slavery upon his Coronation). After this, you must be a man/woman of honor; a dishonorable, treacherous man who is an oath-breaker, a murderer, a thief, or a traitor cannot, and will not, be trusted. Then you must have Heroic courage; a coward who abandons his battle-brothers in a fight becomes an immediate _Outlaw_, and will be hunted down by his comrades mercilessly and with vengeful finality.

And if you manage to somehow _pass_ these requirements, then comes the hard part. (Yes, the next stage of your application will be harder than what I've previously told you.) You will be given several tests throughout your application trials — without you even knowing about it — that will determine your character and your abilities. The King and the Hird Elders get to choose the tests and when to administer them. To fail in even one of these will mean instant disqualification. Then if you've passed these tests, and _somehow_ make it this far, then you and your Dragon companion will take part in trials, contests, and more tests to determine how well both you and your Dragon work together as a team. And it only after you've succeeded in this stage of your trial that you'll finally be tested for your weapon skills and physical prowess. I must warn you, the three Champions that you'll be competing against will be some of the best warriors in the Wilderwest: Camicazi the Courageous, Thuggory the Steadfast, and last, but not least, the King himself. (Unless, of course, the King's parents decide that they want in on the action. In which case, you haven't got a nanodragon's hope for victory. So pray that they don't show up to watch the contest.)

If you best these three Champions, then, if no one stands to oppose you, you will finally be accepted into the company as a Companion of the Dragonmark. After which, you and your Dragon will take part in secret initiation rituals that will cement the bonds of fellowship not only with each other, but with your fellow Viking and Dragon Companions as well. _THEN _you shall finally become a _TRUE _member of the Companions of the Dragonmark!

So... what say you? Do you have what it takes to become a Companion of the Dragonmark?

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_**Author's Note:**_

_**Well met, fellow Dragonmarkers! Welcome to my first fanfic for the HTTYD Book Fandom! This was just a little something that I whipped up recently. This is in a First-Person Narrative, with a similar format to Second-Person, but I assure you that it's not. In fact, I checked. (Trust me, if this was Second Person in ANY way, I would've not done this, since Second-Person narratives aren't allowed on FFN).**_

_**I thought it'd be fun to write something where a Companion of the Dragonmark runs into a stranger and talks with him and he ends up becoming a de facto recruiter. Let us hope that the hapless, but overly enthusiastic recruit can make it past these gruesome trials so that he (or she), too, can become a Companion of the Dragonmark.**_

_**I know that this isn't really a TRUE fanfic involving the book characters, but they ARE mentioned, and there's a lot of book references. But I assure you that in the near future, I'll be writing some actual fanfics for the books. I just wanted to write something fun for you guys. I hope that you enjoy it.**_

_**Please tell me what you think, and if you have anything that can help me improve this, please let me know. Any constructive criticism is always appreciated!**_

_**So, what do you think? Do YOU have what it takes to become a Companion of the Dragonmark?**_

_**Long Live the Wilderwest! Long Live King Hiccup the Third!**_

_**— Companion of the Dragonmark**_


End file.
